Cradle mechanism with cone type coil supports



A. F. GROLL March 9, 1965 CRADLE MECHANISM WITH CONE TYPE COIL SUPPORTS Original Filed Feb. 15. 1957 INVENTOR. ALVIN E GROLL I I ,Mwnf

United States Patent C) 3,172,614 CRADLE MECHANISM WITH CONE TYPE CDIL SUPPORTS Alvin F. Groll, R0. Box 347, Napoleon, Ohio Original application Feb. 13, 1957, Ser. No. 640,012, now

Patent No. 3,107,066, dated Oct. 15, 1963. Divided and this application May 1, 1963, Ser. No. 277,160

Claims. (Cl. 24278.6)

This is a divisional application of application Serial No. 640,012, filed February 13, 1957, now patent 3,107,- 066, which was issued October 15, 1963.

Automatically controlled power presses, and even those that are controlled manually or by foot pedals, cut the shapes from the strips in rapid sequence. Because of the high cost of huge power press installations and the high cost of operating them, it is important that the time taken for replacing coils that have become exhausted be kept at a minimum.

Coils of strip metal to be unwound as shapes are cut from the metal usually are supported in so-called cradles with the coil in each case either resting upOn a pair of rollers or upon a short conveyor-type chain or belt that passes around a pair of rollers; or the center opening of the coil may be engaged by a pair of revoluble cones which are movable axially to center the coil and to clamp the coil between them.

It is an object of this invention to provide a cradle, having cone type coil supports, which is designed to handle very large and very heavy coils.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a cradle designed to handle very large and very heavy coils and having means to position such coils with their axes prepositioned nearly in alignment with the turning axis of cone type coil supports, whereby the coils may be clamped between the cone type supports and thus finally centered with minimum shifting and minimum liability of damage to the strip metal.

A further object or" the invention is to provide a cradle having cone type coil supports with means for efiecting preliminary adjustment of the axial spacing between the cone elements to provide for placement and subsequent clamping therebetween of coils of strip stock having varying widths.

A further object is to provide a cradle such as that outlined above having cone type coil supports so designed as to increase the extent of possible axial adjustment to accommodate coils having central openings of widely varying sizes.

And still a further object is to provide a cradle of the general type outlined above having means to rotate a coil of any size within the capacity of the machine to thereby feed the strip into straightening or other processing mechaninsm.

Other objects and many advantages of the invention will be apparent upon perusal of the following description as illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a machine embodying my invention, so as to increase the extent of axial movement which may be imparted to the cone type coil supports to accommodate coils having central openings of various sizes;

FIG. 2 is a left side elevation of the machine illustrated in FIG. 1.

The machine in the form illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a base 1 comprising two massive side table sections 2 and 3 at its left and right sides, respectively, which are connected by a massive center table section 4 the top of which is lower than the tops of the side table sections 2 and 3 and the fore and aft dimension of which is less than the fore and aft dimensions of the side table sections so that the front of the center table section is recessed rearwardly somewhat with respect to hte fronts of the side table sections.

Extending from side to side along the upper front edges of the side table sections 2 and 3 are ways 5, While similar ways 6 extend from side to side along the upper rear edges of the side table sections. The ways 5 and 6 slidably receive splines 7 and 8 formed along the front and rear edges of each of two shiftable beds 9 and 10, the splines being slidably retained on the ways by gibs 11 that overhang the Ways 5 and gibs 12 that overhang the ways 6.

Journaled in the shiftable bed 9 is a Worm 13, one end 14 of which protrudes from the left side of the bed where it is equipped with a handle 15, the worm 13 being threaded through a boss 16 which projects upwardly from the top of the side table section 2. Thus when the worm 13 is turned by means of the handle 15 the shiftable bed 9 and all of the mechanism mounted thereon are adjusted laterally.

The bed 10 at the right side of the machine, its mounting, its adjusting worm 17 threaded through a stationary boss 18. and a handle 19 by which the worm is turned are mirror counterparts of the bed 9 and the corresponding elements of the mechanism for moving the bed 9. Thus the shiftable beds 9 and It can be adjusted laterally toward or away from each other, or in the same direction, to the same extent or to dififerent extents.

The shiftable bed 9 is equipped with a front way 20 extending along its upper forward edge and a rear Way 21 extending along its upper rearward edge. Mounted for lateral sliding movement upon the ways 2% and 21 is a carriage 22 which is retained upon the ways by means of gibs 23 and 24.

Carried by the carriage 22 and rotatable with respect to said carriage is an inwardly projecting cone type clutch member 25a which is axially aligned with a like clutch member 26a similarly mounted on a carriage 27 which has mirror similarity to the carriage 22 and is similarly mounted on the shiftable bed 10.

When the cone type clutch members 25a and 26a are moved toward each other into the central opening of a coil of strip metal, such as that indicated in broken lines and designated by the Word coil, they center the coil and then hold it firmly between them.

For the purpose of moving the cone type clutch members 25a and 26a toward and away from each other power operated worms 28 and 29 and journaled respectively in the beds 9 and 10, the worms 2S and 23 being threaded through bosses 30 and 31 depending respectively from the carriages 22 and 27. Each of the worms 28 and 29 is turned through gearing 32-33 by a motor 34-35 which hangs from its shiftable bed into a recess 36-37, said recesses being large enough to permit adequate lateral movement of the motors therein.

The weight and bulk of a large coil of strip metal is so great as to make it difficult to handle and Particularly difficult to position and center between cone type clutch members. When a coil is rolled upon the center table section 4 of a cradle such as that herein described, the geometrical center of the coil must never be higher than the turning axis of the cone type clutch members, but it is greatly preferable to keep at a minimum the distance through which the coil must be lifted by forcing the inclined faces of the clutch members into their central openings. Variations in the outside diameters of the coils and variations in the diameters of their central openings cause variations in the distances through which the coils must be lifted during the centering and clutching operation.

In order to obviate such difficulties, I have incorporated in the cradle mechanism a lift having a ram 38 Which when activated hydraulically lifts each coil nearly 3 to the position that it will assume when finally centered. After the cone type clutch members 25a and 26a have centered and clutched the coil, the ram 38 descends to the position in which it is shown in FIG. 1.

To insure that the ram 38 when ascending will properly locate the coil fore and aft, the top of the ram may be formed with a transverse trough. Though some coils are smaller than others, coils of all sizes settle directly over the trough with their axes properly oriented in the same vertical plane with the turning axis of the cone type clutch members. Thus when a coil is lifted its axis will rise vertically into approximate coincidence with the turning axis of the cone type clutch members.

Since the construction and operation of hydraulic lifts is well known and since valves and appurtenances for introducing and releasing fluid are commercially available, this description and the accompanying drawings have not been complicated by descriptions and illustrations in detail of the lift structure or of valves and appurtenances.

For the purpose of positively turning the clutch memher 25a, and consequently the coil and the clutch member 26a, to unwind the coil and feed the strip unwound therefrom through straightening mechanism or other processing mechanism, an unwind motor 40 is mounted upon the carriage 22 and connected by gearing to the shaft of the cone type clutch member 25a.

The device of this invention is designed for installation in position to feed strip metal from coils intoa power press. When so installed the shiftable beds 9 and 10 can be shifted toward or away from each other by turning the handles 19 until the inner ends of the beds are spaced apart a distance which exceeds the width of the coil to be cradledby some two to four inches, the inner ends of the beds being adjusted to liemore closely to a coil of very narrow stock than would be necessary for them to lie to a coil of very wide stock. The carriages and 27 are then traversed apart by operating the motors 34 and 35 until the inner ends of the cone type clutch members a and 261: are spaced apart approximately the same distances as are the inner ends of the beds 9 and 10.

A coil of the size for which the spacings between the inner edges of the beds 9 and 10 and the inner ends of the coil type clutch members 25a and 26a have been adjusted then is rolled from a ramp or otherwise loaded upon the center table section 4 after which the ram 38 is moved slowly upwardly until the axis of the coil has been raised nearly to the height of the axis of the cone type clutch members 25a and 26a. Thereupon the motors 34 and 35 are activated to move the cone ty-pe clutch members 25a and 26a into centering and clutching engagement with the coil. As the coil is finally centered it is lifted slightly and perhaps shifted slightly fore or aft. With the coil thus supported by the cone type clutch members 25a and 26a the ram 38 is lowered into the position in which it is shown in FIG. 1. The motor 40 then may be activated to unwind the strip to be passed through the straightener and the power press for processing.

The range of widths of coils that can be accommodated in the cradle of this invention can be varied further by employing cone type clutch members 25a and 26a. The corresponding edges of the cone type clutch members 25a and 26a are formed with notches 42a and 43a and with fingers 44a between the notches 42a and like fingers 45a between the notches 43a.

When the width of the coil to be clutched between the cone type clutch members 25a and 26a is so narrow that the meeting edges of unnotchcd clutch members would engage before the coil was accurately centered and tightly gripped, the fingers 44a can slide into the notches 43a between the fingers 45a. With the fingers thus interdigitated the clutch members 25a and 26a can continue to move toward each other for an additional distance equal to the depth of the notches.

The specially shaped cone type clutch members are clutched to the coil rather than clutched to each other through their interdigitated fingers. Since no clutching function of the interdigitated fingers is utilized the fingers may be and preferably are quite loosely received in the notches.

In operation of the machine to advance the cone type clutches toward each other it may be advisable occasionally to see that the fingers are angularly so offset that the fingers on one of the clutch members will by-pass the fingers on the other.

It is to be understood that the device described in the foregoing specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings is exemplary only and that it is subject to modification within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

I claimi 1. In cradle mechanism for holding coils of strip metal, in combination, a base comprising a center section with a pair of side sections flanking said center section, the tops of said side sections being at a level above the top of said center section, a pair of laterally extending ways upon each of said side sections, a shiftable bed mounted upon each of said pairs of laterally extending ways, means for driving each of said beds along the ways on which it is mounted, a carriage mounted for lateral traverse upon each of said beds, means for traversing each of said carriages, a clutch member revoiubly mounted on each of said carriages, said clutch members facing each other and having a common axis of revolution that is spaced above the top of said center section by a distance exceed ing the maximum radius of any coil to be held by such cradle mechanism, and means for traversing one of said carriages toward the other to cause said clutch members: to grip such coil while strip metal is being unwound therefrom, said clutch members having complementary series of alternate depressionsand projections which can interdigitat'e to permit increased movement of said.

. clutch members toward each other.

2. In cradle mechanism for holding coils of strip metal, in combination, a base comprising a center section with a pair ofside sections flanking said center section, a pair of laterally extending ways upon each of said side sections,

a shiftable bed mounted upori each of said pairs of laterally extending ways, manually operable means for driving each of said beds along the ways on which it is mounted, a carriage mounted for lateral traverse upon each of said beds, power operated means for traversing each of said carriages, a cone type clutch member revolu bly mounted on each of said carriages, said cone type clutch members facing each other and having a common axis of revolution that is spaced above the top of said center section by a distance exceeding the maximum radius of any coil to be held by such cradle mechanism, and means for traversing one of said carriages toward the other to cause said clutch members to center such coil and then to grip such coil while strip metal is being un'' wound therefrom, said clutch members having complementary series of alternate depressions and projections which can interdigitate to permit increased movement of said clutch members toward each other.

3. In cradle mechanism for holding coils of strip stock in combination, a pair of cone type clutch members mounted for rotation on a common axis of revolution, each of said clutch members having surfaces which diverge along said axis of revolution from the region rnost proximate the other clutch member, a series of projections extending the conic surfaces of each clutch member toward the other clutch members so spaced circumfcrentially as to permit interdigitation of said projections on one clutchv member with those on said other clutch member, and means for traversing one of said clutch members toward the other along said axis of revolution to cause said clutch members to fit within the open center of a coil and grip said coil whereby the range of relative movement along said axis is increased beyond the intersection. of the outermost limits of said projections with a plane normal to said axis of revolution.

4. In cradle mechanism for holding coils of strip metal, in combination, a pair of complementary clutch members mounted for rotation on a common axis of revolution, one of said clutch members having surfaces which diverge along said axis of revolution from the region most proximate said complementary clutch member for engagement with the open center of a coil of strip metal to be held, and means for traversing one of said clutch members toward the other along said axis of revolution to cause said clutch members to grip a coil, the adjacent ends of said clutch members having complementary series of alternate depressions and projections which can interdigitate to permit increased movement of said clutch members toward each other beyond the intersection of the outermost limits of said members with a plane normal to said axis of revolution.

5. In cradle mechanism for holding coils of strip stock, in combination a first group of elements forming a first clutch member mounted for rotation on a first axis of revolution, the outer limits of said elements from said axis of revolution being fixed in a conic surface which diverges along said axis of revolution and said elements being spaced circumferentially in said surface, a second group of elements forming a second clutch member mounted for rotation on an axis of revolution coincident with said first axis of revolution and being spaced circumferentially to interdigitate with said elements of said first group, said conic surface of said first clutch member converging adjacent said second clutch member, and means for traversing one of said clutch members toward the other along said axis of revolution to cause said clutch members to fit within the open center of a coil and grip said coil.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Littell Dec. 15, 1953 Bandy July 23, 1957 

4. IN CRADLE MECHANISM FOR HOLDING COILS OF STRIP METAL, IN COMBINATION, A PAIR OF COMPLEMENTARY CLUTCH MEMBERS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ON A COMMON AXIS OF REVOLUTION, ONE OF SAID CLUTCH MEMBERS HAVING SURFACES WHICH DIVERGE ALONG SAID AXIS OF REVOLUTION FROM THE REGION MOST PROXIMATE SAID COMPLEMENTARY CLUTCH MEMBER FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OPEN CENTER OF A COIL OF STRIP METAL TO BE HELD, AND MEANS FOR TRAVERSING ONE OF SAID CLUTCH MEMBERS TOWARD THE OTHER ALONG SAID AXIS OF REVOLUTION TO CAUSE SAID CLUTCH MEMBERS TO GRIP A COIL, THE ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID CLUTCH MEMBERS HAVING COMPLEMENTARY SERIES OF ALTERNATE DEPRESSIONS AND PROJECTIONS WHICH CAN INTERDIGITATE TO PERMIT INCREASED MOVEMENT OF SAID CLUTCH MEMBERS TOWARD EACH OTHER BEYOND THE INTERSECTION OF THE OUTERMOST LIMITS OF SAID MEMBERS WITH A PLANE NORMAL TO SAID AXIS OF REVOLUTION. 